This is the dedicated blog, of a Fragrance Connoisseur and Writer, Shaneela Rowah Al-Qamar. Its the BEST place to read about and learn about Arabian, Oriental or Oud based fragrances, perfume niches, Attar - and fragrances in general! Enjoy! :)

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Friday, 4 November 2016

My Top Fragrance Picks for Autumn/Winter 2016: Scents to See Us Through The Big Freeze

It’s that time of year again! Now, we have the chill slowly but surely biting at us, the nights are becoming colder and colder and those leaves carpeting our streets making them look picture-perfect, are becoming crispier. With the Autumn, comes the smoky-wood burning smell of the air that I smell when walking through parks lined with horse chestnut trees. There is the remnant of the smell of the sweet white blossom like flowers that this tree produces, and the roads are paved with multi coloured leaves in yellows, oranges and bright pinks amongst the emerald green colours. Squirrels are running around collecting the conkers…this is the picture of Autumn.

This season brings the opportunity for us to bring out those fragrances from our winter wardrobe stash that has been stored way during the warmer summer months… and we come out with some lovely Autumn slash winters fragrances. So grab that cosy cardigan, grab a cup of cocoa and get yourself in front of that fireplace…here are my picks for this season:

Serge Lutens perfumes are quite versatile, in the sense that they are excellent for layering. With us waving a sad good bye to the summer (my favourite season!) it would make sense that we would want to have a fragrance that is not too summary, but reminds us of the summer whilst firmly bringing us back to earth into the current Autumn. Serge Lutens Fleurs d'Oranger is the perfect candidate to do that! The India tuberose and the orange blossom opening with this scent is absolutely to die for! It is very nostalgic, earthy, fresh and summary at the same time, with its freshness coming in from the wonderful jasmine notes and safely grounded by the caraway and the aromatic nutmeg – which I must add by the way, is one of my favourite spices! This fragrance is one of those versatile keepers of which you always need to have at the back of the wardrobe, to pull out for those emergency situations, where your yearning for that beautiful autumn breeze, with the woody background.

But if you are feeling very wintery and want to reinforce that, then there is no better fragrance to do that, other than Abdul Samad Al-Qureshi’s Khasab Al-oud. ASAQ is a Saudi perfume house, found all over the Middle East – do check it out if you can! This is a perfect choice in my opinion especially during the end of Autumn coming onto the brink of the winter chill phase. It consists of the finest aged oud notes, with a beautiful blend of jasmine, rose, patchouli and then into a beautiful sandalwood – so relevant for this time of year, with its warming properties. Those who are used to oud will not find this strong, and it gives the perfect balance between the sweeter autumn reminiscent notes and the woodier winter notes. It is a perfect fragrance to layer with musk…. If you be so adventurous! This, like the Surge Lutens, is a unisex fragrance, as most ouds are. The bottle of Khasab al-oud is furnished internally with agarwood chips, perfectly suiting the season!

My final pick for this season, is of course none other than Dolce & Gabbana’s Velvet Pure for women – a proper autumn season fragrance, released this year. Although it is for women, it is one of those that men can get away with wearing during the autumn months. It’s a wonderful, almost creamy like concoction of fig leaves, labdanum, root orris and vetiver… a delicious blend! The crisp fig leaves go so well with the smells and the feeling of the crisp autumn breezes, punctuated by the sweet floral accords before bringing out the earthier underlay. This scent was inspired by the wonderful Mediterranean Reseda flower – and the fragrance pays homage to it perfectly!

I hope that you will have the opportunity to try some of these… I will certainly be wearing these and others to get me through the colder months! ;)